Grate construction



July 10, 1923.

s. N. FLEMING GRATE CONSTRUCTION 1 Filed May 25, 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 awuo/wlio'z 151M 9 /9/ 077,

July 10, 1-923.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a wuewtoz Patented July 10, 1923.

raras GRATE CONSTRUCTION. I

Application filed May 25, 1918 Serial No. 236,604.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL N. FLEMING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Earlington. in the county of Hopkins and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grate Constructions. of which the following is a specilicationf The invention has for an object to eflect improvements in the means for tending an open grate fire in a domesticfireplace, and particularly to enable the management of a fire therein so as to produce a minimum of smoke. utilizing to the utmost the gases from coal and other fuel, but especially fuel such as bituminous coal.

A further object is to give an improved construction of grate bar and shake-down mechanism associated with a. basket grate element in a. peculiar relation to enable eiiicient management of such a. fire, will be described in detail.

Additional objects and advantages are involved by the invention, features of which reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts as hereinafter de scribed and shown in the drawings, wherein,

Figure l is a front elevation of a fireplace and grate embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail of operating connections for the grate.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectionalview of a fireplace on the line 33 of Fig. l, the lever and pedestal being shown in elevation.

Fig. 4 is a View of one of the mounting elements. 7

There is illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 a fireplace 10 which may be of any familiar construction, a formal construction of throat closure being illustrated at 11 in Fig. 3. I

The back 12 of the fireplace preferably has a forwardly sloping upper part 13, as shown. Set between the sides of the fire place there is a grate including a forward basket portion 15, including bottom bars 16 joined integrally to a cross bar 17 close to the rear part of the basket, from which there are projected rearwardly a series of short fingers 18. The bar 17 has its ends 19 set in recessed lugs 20 formed upon wall,

blocks 21 of metal, adapted to be built into the usual brick sides of the fire place, these blocks having dimensions corresponding to those of a brick.

Each block 21' is provided with two a dditional lugs 25 spaced successively rearwardly of the lug 20, having bearing recesses in their upper sides, and receiving the trunnions 24 of rocking'bars 26 having forward fingers 27 and rear fingers 27, the fingers of one bar 26 being offset from those of the other so that they may intermesh, and the fin ers 27 of the forward bar 26 are in-' termeshed with the fingers 18 ofthe basket portion. The bars 26 are formed with central heavy portions 28, each having a red-- tangular boss 29 at one end, centrally from which the trunnions 24 are extended, the

latter being cylindrical. 1 Fitted upon the boss 29 at one side of the rear bar 26,'there is 1 a pend ent arm' 30, having a rectangular opening, receiving the boss snugly, but adapted to be removed slidably from. the boss when the bar 26 is dismounted. An upwardly extending arm is similarly fitted at the adjacent end of the front bar 26.

The arms 30 and 30, are retained in en- 80 gagement with the rocking bars 26 normally by the lugs 25. Connected to theend of the arm 30, there isan opera-ting rod 31, extended forwardly beneath the grate and connected to a crank 2520f a shaft 33 mounted upon a suitable'pedestal 3 .1- erected upon the hearth 35 toone side of the fireplace. Fixed upon the shaft 33 there is an operating hand leverf86 bywhich the bars 26 may be rocked when it is oscillated 90 properly. From the trunnions 2d there are extended rearwardly stop lugs 37 adapted to engage upon the upper sides of the sup-' porting lugs 25 togoheck rocking movement of the rocking bars toward the rear. rearward finger elements 27 have normally horizontal upper sides, but; are extended downwardly a considerable distance, and have their outer and rear end edges formed in arcs concentric with the axes of the rock ing bars at the rear side, while the fingers 27 at the forward side may be of any usual construction, or may be omitted. A diagonal link 40 is extended from the operating rod 31 to the upwardly extended arm 30,

whereby movement of the rod 31 will be required in a forward direction to rock the front bar 26 with the upwardly extending arm 30 while the rod 31 will have to move rearwardly to operate the rear bar 26. In

the present instance, the downwardly extendlng arm is shown upon the rear grate,

The 95 and a pin l1 upon this link is engaged in a slot l2 formed in the rod 31 having a slight diagonally upward extension 43 at its forward part.

The link i is provided with a pin 44 engaged in a plain horizontal slot 45 in the rod 31. With the rod 31 in a neutral position, the pin a1 is at the forward end of the slot 42, while the pin 4:4: is at the rearward end of the slot 4:5. It will be seen that movement of the rod 31 in either direction will immediately cause one of the pins to engage with the end of the respective slot in the rod, and the other will similarly engage when the limit of relative sliding movement has been reached. This may be termed a lost motion connection.

It is possible to rock either bar 26 while the other remains stationary and undisturbed, by rocking the lever 36 at one side or the other of its neutral position, while the bars 26 may be rocked alternately by giving a full stroke to the operating lever in the proper direction. It will also be noted that the construction of the bars 26 is such that they will throw live fire forwardly toward the basket grate, so that heat may radiate from the fireplace with the highest efficiency.

lVith the use of this form of grate, green coal may be banked at the forward part of the device, or in the basket grate, with its surface sloping downwardly toward the rear after a fire is started. and with live fire in the back part of the device, the green coal will be heated and the gases developed therein passing over the live fire will be con sumed, thus reducing the amount of smoke produced. By having a small quantity of coal in the forward part of the grate, and moving this onto the live coal in the back of the grate after it has been'coked, it will become ignited and burn properly. Operation of the rocking bars 26 will cause the live fire to be thrown forwardly into the forward part of the grate, where its fire shine will be most efiective.

WVhat is claimed:

1. In a grate of the character described a forward rocking grate bar having an upwardly extending arm, a rear rocking grate bar having a downwardly extending arm, a reciprocating rod, a lost motion connection between the rod and the last mentioned arm whereby a limited stroke of the rod forwardly from normal position will be inoperative with respect to said rear grate bar, but a stroke rearwardly will operate the rear grate bar, and lost motion connections between said upwardly extending arm and said rod whereby a limited stroke of the rod rearwardly from normal position, will be inoperative with r espect to said rear grate bar, but a forward stroke thereof will operate the first mentioned rocking grate bar.

2. A fire place grate comprising a for-' ward basket portion and transverse rocking bars rearwardly therof having major rearwardly extending fire supporting parts, and means to rock the bars alternately whereby fire will be moved forwardly into the basket portion.

3. In a fireplace grate two transverse rocking grate bars each having a major part at one side of its axis whereby alternate rocking thereof will move fire thereover in one direction, a reciprocating bar transverse to the axes of the grate bars, the grate bars having arms, one upstanding and the other pendant normally, a pivot element on the pendent arm, a slot being formed in the reciprocating bar receiving the pivot at its forward part, a link connected to the upstanding arm, a pivot element on the lower end of the link, said reciprocating bar having a longitudinal slot therein receiving the last named pivot element at its rear part.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL N. FLEMING.

lVitnesses:

F. B. ARNOLD, HOWARD ARNOLD. 

